Mallet attachment



Sept. 13, 1960;

MALLET ATTACHMENT 7 Filed June 6. 1957 Q 1 INVENTORS GEORG NICHO WILB R.SCHN ATTORNEY a. a. NICHOLS :rm. 2,952,284

United States Patent MALLET ATTACHMENT George B. Nichols, 159- HomewoodAve., Barberton, Ohio, and Wilbur R. Schnee, 43 Frederick Ave., Akron10, Ohio Filed June 6, 19'57, Ser. No. 664,091

1 Claim. (Cl. 1 45-29) This invention relates to a rubber malletattachment for a hammer.

The attachment is molded of two different kinds of rubber. The strikingportion of the attachment is made of a harder rubber; and the attachmentportion is made of a softer rubber so that it can more easily be slippedon to and off of the head of a hammer.

The mallet attachment is designed for use with a hammer having a headwhich is larger in diameter than the neck to which it is attached. Itcan be applied to a claw hammer or a machinists hammer. It will easilyfit over the ball peen of a ball-peen hammer, and may be used over theflat head of a claw-peen hammer or a cross-peen hammer.

The invention will be further described in connection with theaccompanying drawings, in which- Fig. 1 shows the mallet attachment onthe striking head of a claw hammer, the attachment being shown insection;

Fig. 2 is a section through the hammer head on the line 22 of Fig. 1,looking down on the mallet attachment which is partly broken away tomore clearly show its construction; and

Fig. 3 is a side view of a mallet attachment, partly broken away, on theball peen of a machinists hammer.

The mallet attachments of this invention are formed of two kinds ofrubber, the harder rubber being indicated in the drawings by the letterH, and the softer rubber by the letter S. The harder rubber is locatedat the striking head, and the softer rubber forms the attaching portionof the attachment. The location of the dividing line between the harderand softer rubbers may be varied but, in general, all of the attachmentbelow the head of the hammer to which it is applied will be made ofharder rubber, and all of the attaching portion above the cavity intowhich the head of the hammer fits will be of softer rubber. The harderrubber will be of the hardness of the rubber in an ordinary mallet, sothat it will strike a blow comparable to that of a mallet. It may, forexample, have a durometer reading of 85 to 95. The softer rubber willhave a lower modulus so that it can more easily be stretched to theextent necessary to put it on, and take it off, the head of the hammer.It may have a durometer reading of, for example, 50 to 60.

The claw hammer of Fig. 1 is formed of the handle 1 and the head 2. Thehead is provided with a claw portion 3 and striking head 4 which islarger in diameter than the neck 5 to which it is attached.

The mallet attachment 7 is formed of both harder and softer rubber, asindicated by the letters H and S. This attachment is molded by firstplacing a portion of harder rubber in the bottom of the mold and aportion of softer rubber on top of this in the upper portion of themold. The mold is provided with a core which forms the cavity. Aftermolding, the core is easily removed by flexing the softer rubber whichtends to hold it in place. The parting line is generally in the upperportion of the resulting unitary vulcanizate, and in Fig. 1 wouldusually be at about the level of the top of the perpendicularcylindrical wall of the striking head 4 of the hammer. The

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location of the parting line is immaterial to the invention.

Standard claw hammers weigh 16 ounces. Framing hammers (a type of clawhammer) weigh about 20 ounces. A single mallet attachment of thisinvention may be made to fit both these types of hammers and also theball peen of a l6-ounce to 24-ounce machinists hammer. The cavity for anattachment which will fit these various types of hammers measures about1 inch to 1% inches from the top surface 8 to the bottom 9 of thecavity. The central portion of the bottom of the cavity is preferablycupped somewhat at 10 to receive the end of a ball peen of a hammer. Thediameter of the larger portion of the cavity will be about 1% inches.The opening at the top of the cavity narrows at 12 to a vertical wall 13which firmly grips the tapering portion of the neck 5 above the strikinghead.

To apply the mallet attachment to the head of a hammer, the surface ofthe hammer head, or preferably the surface of the neck of the attachmentis moistened, as with a few drops of water. The attachment is theneasily pressed over the head. After use, a few drops of water inside ofthe tapering mouth 20 of the attachment will lubricate the rubbersurface and facilitate its removal.

Figure 3 illustrates a mallet attachment of the same general design butof somewhat larger construction, to fit the ball peen of a 32- to48-ounce machinists hammer. The attachment fits over the ball peen 30and the rounded bottom 32 of the peen fits into the rounded depression33 in the bottom of the cavity. The neck 35 of the attachment closes inagainst the neck 36 of the ball peen.

The design of the mallet attachment may be varied. It is generally cupshaped and has ,a fiat striking surface. The vertical walls may becorrugated or of any desired configuration, and the top may be roundedinstead of being provided with flat slanting walls. The roundeddepression in the bottom of the cavity may be omitted, although itassists in centering the attachment onto a ball peen. The cavity,generally speaking, is formed of a bottom portion with vertical walls,and the inner surface of the neck or attaching portion may have avertical wall as shown or this wall may be convexly curved. An inwardlytapering wall connects this portion of the neck with the wider portionof the cavity. The wall leading down to the narrow portion of the neckpreferably slants inwardly to facilitate applying the mallet attachmentto a hammer. Thus modification of the construct-ion shown and describedis possible within the scope of the invention.

What we claim is:

A mallet attachment for a hammer head with a neck of smaller diameterthan the largest diameter of the hammer head, which attachment is aunitary vulcanizate and includes a generally cylindrical cavity with anopening at one end of relatively smaller diameter, said open end beingof relatively softer rubber than the closed end which is of relativelyharder rubber, there being a rounded depression in the center of thebottom of the inside of the closed end, the edge of which depression isspaced a substantial distance from the edge of the bottom with the areabetween the edge of the depression and the edge of the bottom beingsubstantially flat.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,474,510 Campbell Nov. 20, 1923 1,663,886 Lutch Mar. 27, 19281,680,823: Teed Aug. 14, 1928 1,7 32,985 Peters Oct. 22, 1929 2,080,948Mazoyer May 18, 1937 FOREIGN PATENTS 7 733,391 Great Britain July 13,1955

